TRIP 


THROUGH      THE 


STOCK   VTTRDS. 


SLAUGHTER 
HOUSES. 


BY     GEORGE     WM.     LAMBERT. 


ILLUSTRATED 


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.-418-420      DEARBORN     STREE7 

CHICAGO. 


Table  of  Contents. 

PAGE. 

Introduction 5 

The  Union  Stock  Yards 7 

The  Slaughter  of  Cattle 8 

The  King  of  Butchers 12 

How  the  Various  Parts  of  the  Animal  are  Utilized 16 

Butterine  Factory 17 

Oil  Houses 18 

Glue  Factory 19 

The  Slaughter  of  Hogs 20 

Smoke  House 24 

The  Slaughter  of  Sheep ,24 

Wool  House..  .28 


Illustrations. 

PAGE. 

Main  Entrance  of  Stock  Yards Cover 

Dressing  Beeves 9 

In  the  Beef  Cooler 1 1 

Cooling  Room,  Butterine  Department 17 

Press  Room,  Oil  House , 18 

Sticking  the  Hog 20 

A  Half  Mile  of  Pork 21- 

Chopping  Meat,  Sausage  Department 22 

Filling  Skins,  Sausage  Department 23 

Driving  Sheep  to  Slaughter 25 

'Killing  Sheep 26 

After  Slaughter 27 

Dressing  the  Sheep 28 


L 


...  INTRODUCTION  ... 


Among  the  many  interesting  sights  of  Chicago,  few  are  more 
interesting  than  a  trip  through"  the  Union  Stock  Yards  and  Slaugh- 
ter Houses.  No  one  should  fail  to  avail  themselves  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  visit  this  great  Stock  Yards  and  Packing  Town,  which  is  a 
city  in  itself,  there  being  between  twenty  and  twenty-five  thousand 
people  employed  here  in  the  busy  part  of  the  year. 

Since  the  writer  first  visited  the  Stock  Yards  and  Slaughter 
Houses  he  saw  the  great  need  of  a  guide  to  explain  all  he  wished 
to  know  about  the  place,  and  now,  after  nearly  five  years'  study 
about  it,  he  takes  pleasure  in  submitting  to  those  who  contemplate 

a  trip  through  the  Stock  Yards  and  Slaughter  Houses  this  book 

• 
which  gives  a  very  true  account  of  all  the  interesting  sights  of  the 

place,  and  he  hopes  the  book  will  prove  a  valuable  help  to  such. 

GEO.  W.  LAMBERT. 


The    Union    Stock    Yards. 


The  Union  Stock  Yards  were  built  in  1865  and  opened  for  traffic  in 
December  of  that  year.  Business  has  continued  to  date  and  has  stead- 
ily grown  in  volume.  The  Stock  Yards  property,  or  what  is  known  as 
the  original  Stock  Yards  purchase,  comprises  320  acres,  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Thirty-ninth  street,  east  by  Halsted  street,  south  by  Forty-sev- 
enth street  and  west  by  Centre  avenue.  Since  making  the  original  pur- 
chase the  Stock  Yards  Company  have  added  to  their  possessions  by 
the  purchase  of  several  smaller  tracts  of  land  for  railroad  yard  pur- 
poses, so  that  now  the  Stock  Yards  cover  more  than  450  acres  of  land. 
The  Stock  Yards  and  Packing  Town  occupy  all  of  the  section  of  land 
bounded  by  Thirty-ninth  street,  Halsted  street,  Forty  seventh  street  and 
Ashland  avenue,  except  about  80  acres  in  the  southwest  corner,  40  ot 
which  have  been  subdivided  and  the  balance  is  a  cabbage  field. 

The  entire  system  of  all  the  railroads  in  the  West  center  here.  The 
*arge  capacity  of  the  yards,  the  facilities  for  unloading,  feeding  and  re- 
shipping  are  unlimited.  No  other  place  in  the  world  can  receive,  handle 
and  care  for  such  an  amount  of  live  stock  as  is  cared  for  at  the  Chicago 
Union  Stock  Yards.  This  immense  market  received  the  following  head 
of  live  stock  during  the  year  1892  : 

Number  of  Cattle 3>57I»796 

"    Hogs 7-7I4,435 

"   Sheep 2,145,079 

"    Calves 197,576 

"    Horses 86,998 

Largest  receipts  of    Stock  i  day,  i  week,   i    month,      i  year. 

"      Cattle  32,679     95.524      385-466    3.57^796 

"     Calves  3,068       8,479        31,398       205,383 

Hogs  66,597  300,488  1,111,997    8,600,805 

"     Sheep  18,797     58,683      227,316    2,182.667 

"     Horses  1,237       3.679        12,927       101,566 


8  A   TRIP   THROUGH   THE 

The  capacity  per  day  for  live  stock  at  the  Chicago  Union  Stock  Yards 

is  as  follows: 

50,000  Cattle,  200,000  Hogs,  30,000  Sheep,  4,000  Horses. 
A  regular  Horse  Market  is  now  established  here.  During  the  past 
year  the  Company  has  erected  a  new  Horse  Exchange  Pavilion  185x530 
feet,  at  a  cost  of  over  $100,000,  containing  a  display  track  36  feet  wide 
and  over  500  feet  long,  with  three  places  for  turning,  all  covered  by  an 
iron  dome  and  skylight,  containing  an  amphitheatre  capable  of  seating 
3,000  people,  every  seat  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  track.  The  build- 
ing is  to  be  known  as  "  Dexter  Park  Horse  Exchange  and  Pavilion."  It 
will  be  heated  throughout  with  the  Sturtevant  hot-air  blast,  making  it 
always  comfortable  in  the  most  extreme  cold  weather.  It  is  also  lighted 
with  the  arc  .and  incandescent  electric  light;  has  an  elegant  buffet,  lunch 
counter  and  fruit  stand  connected  with  it,  also  waiting  and  toilet  rooms, 
thus  making  it  the  most  perfect  and  complete  place  for  selling  and  dis- 
playing horses  and  mules  under  roof  in  the  world. 

The  Officers  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  Company  are  as  follows: 
N.  Thayer,  President. 

John  B.  Sherman,  Vice-President  and  Gen'l  Manager. 
Geo.  T.  Williams.  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
J.  C.  Denison.  Ass't  Sec'yand  Ass't  Treas. 
Jas.  H.  Ashby,  General  Superintendent. 


The  Slaughter  of  Cattle. 

Cattle  received  at  the  Union  Stock  Yards  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  and  maybe  divided  into  two  classes:  class  i,  Native  cattle;  class 
2,  Range  cattle.  The  Native  cattle  are  those  produced  in  the  States 
near  to  Illinois,  which  are  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Nebraska, 
Kansas,  Minnesota,  and  Wisconsin.  Range  cattle  are  those  from  the 
plains  of  Texas,  Colorado,  Montana  and  Wyoming.  About  three-fourths 
of  all  the  cattle  received  at  the  Stock  Yards  are  Native  cattle.  These 
are  shipped  by  small  farmers  for  market  and  are  as  fine  a  grade  of  cattle 
as  can  be  found  anywhere  in  the  world.  From  this  grade  of  cattle  come 
the  meats  which  are  shipped  all  over  the  country  in  Refrigerator  cars, 
and  the  quality  of  which  is  unsurpassed.  The  Range  cattle  are  generally 
thin  and  unfit  for  cutting  into  the  best  grades  of  meat. 


UNION   STOCK   YARDS   AND   SLAUGHTER    HOUSES.  9 

The  rules  of  the  Stock  Yards  are,  that  the  animals  must  be  fed  and 
watered  before  they  are  weighed,  and  without  such  weighing  they  cannot 
be  sold.  The  lowest  time  that  cattle  can  be  pushed  through  the  stock 
yard  stage  of  their  progress  from  the  ranch  to  the  killing-pen  is  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  this,  if  any  reason  therefor  appears  may  extend  to  sev- 
eral days.  Then  there  is  a  rigid  inspection  by  reliable  officials  that  pre- 
vents any  diseased  beast  being  sent  to  the  slaughter  house  for  conversion 


DRESSING    BEEVES. 

into  human  food.  From  this  point  on  all  depends  on  the  skill  and  care 
with  which  the  converting  of  him  is  done.  In  either  of  the  large  slaught- 
ering establishments,  Swift's,  Armour's  or  Morris's,  known  as  the  "  Big 
Three,"  the  processes  may  be  said  to  have  attained  perfection.  Let  us 
review  the  killing  in  the  first  named  establishment. 

Each  beast  for  slaughter  is  driven  into  a  narrow  separate  pen,  the 
cleanest  pen  he  was  ever  in,  where  there  is  no  sight  or  scent  of  blood  to 
alarm  or  excite  him.  A  man  standing  on  a  board  walk  above  stuns  him 


TO  A  TRIP  THROUGH   THE 

by  a  blow  delivered  with  a  heavy  sledge  upon  his  forehead.  The  concus- 
sion causes  an  abnormal  rush  of  blood  to  his  head  and  neck.  Before  he 
regains  consciousness  the  door  is  raised,  causing  the  animal  to  slide  out 
upon  the  floor  of  the  slaughter  house.  Then  to  make  sure  that  the  ani- 
imal  is  powerless  his  skull  is  again  crushed  in;  a  chain  is  then  fastened 
to  his  hind  legs  and  he  is  hoisted  from  the  floor;  his  fore  legs  are  spread 
wide  apart  and  a  man  thrusts  a  sharp  knife  into  his  throat.  The  blood 
gushes  out  in  a  torrent;  a  man  is  draining  the  blood  out  of  both  arteries 
and  veins  by  scraping  on  the  outside  of  the  hide  with  a  shovel.  The  ut- 
most care  is  taken  that  this  shall  be  thoroughly  effected,  as  upon  it  de- 
pends in  a  great  measure  prevention  of  the  tendency  to  decomposition 
that  is  inevitable  where  the  blood  is  left  standing  among  the  muscular 
tissues. 

There  seems  to  be  an  almost  morbid  fear  of  harboring  somewhere 
about  the  place  germs  of  decomposition  that  might  taint  the  meat.  The 
first  element  of  security  attained,  that  of  thorough  draining  out  of  the 
blood  is  shown  by  the  condition  of  the  meat,  and  the  fact  that  the  heart 
when  taken  out  is  always  found  to  be  perfectly  empty.  But  that  is  only 
the  beginning.  The  men  whose  department  of  the  necessary  handling 
compels  them  to  get  blood  on  their  hands  must  wash  them  instantly  at 
the  spouting  hose  close  by.  In  all  the  subsequent  handling  for  removal 
of  the  intestines  and  other  internal  parts,  skinning,  dividing  into  halves, 
washing  and  drying,  from  the  time  the  animal  was  first  hoisted  until  he 
is  stowed  away  in  the  cooler,  his  flesh  never  touches  the  floor,  and  of  all 
the  forty-two  men  who  handle  him  on  the  way,  each  doing  some  one  par- 
ticular part  and  all  working  with  the  regularity  of  machinery  and  the 
speed  of  lightning,  not  one  has  laid  a  dirty  finger  upon  him. 

The  blood  is  washed  down  into  a  gutter  which  leads  to  a  tank,  from 
which  it  is  pumped  into  covered  carts  and  taken  to  the  fertilizer  house, 
to  be  put  under  treatment  for  conversion  into  a  valuable  fertilizer  called 
"  dried  blood." 

Confining  our  attention  to  the  one  special  steer,  the  next  thing  we 
see  is  the  head  being  taken  off;  after  this  he  is  lowered  to  the  floor  and 
placed  upon  his  back  propped  against  sticks  fastened  to  the  floor.  He  is 
left  in  this  position  until  his  legs  are  broken,  stomach  opened  and  the 
hide  skinned  from  the  edges.  Then  with  two  hooks,  one  stuck  behind 
each  of  the  joints  of  the  hind  legs,  he  is  hoisted  to  a  position  convenient 
for  the  butchers.  After  the  tail  is  cut  off,  intestines  taken  out  and  the 
hide  pulled  off  a  little  more,  he  is -hoisted  from  the  floor,  never  to  touch 


UNION   STOCK   YARDS   AND   SLAUGHTER    HOUSES. 


ii 


it  again.  On  two  tracks  above  are  wheels  from  which  hooks  are  hang- 
ing; these  hooks  are  placed  in  and  the  others  taken  from  the  joints  of 
the  hind  legs;  then  two  men  pull  the  hide  while  another  man  pounds  and 
separates  it  from  the  flesh  with  a  cleaver.  The  hide  is  then  straightened, 
out  upon  the  floor  by  men  with  long  poles;  this  is  done  to  see  if  there  are 
any  cuts  in  the  hide  and  if  there  be  any  it  is  kept  separate  from  the  others 
The  hides  are  sent  to  a  cellar  where  they  are  salted  and  folded,  then  they 
are  ready  to  be  sold. 


IN    THE    BEEF    COOLER. 

While  the  hide  was  being  inspected  a  man  was  dividing  the  steer  into 
halves  by  using  a  large  heavy  cleaver.  The  next  moment  we  see  men 
trimming  the  ragged  edges  and  carefully  washing  and  drying  the  meat. 
The  meat  is  then  numbered,  tagged,  weighed  and  hung  in  a  cooler,  at  a 
temperature  of  38  degrees  F.,  where  it  remains  forty-eight  hours;  at  the 
end  of  this  time  it  is  again  weighed;  this  is  done  to  find  the  percentage 
of  loss  in  weight,  which  will  average  about  3  per  cent.  Just  eight  minutes 


12  A   TRIP   THROUGH   THE 

have  passed  from  the  time  the  animal  was  knocked  until  he  was  finally 
stowed  away  in  the  cooler,  although  it  can  be  done  in  five  minutes.  Two 
thousand  five  hundred  cattle  are  killed  in  ten  hours  at  this  house. 


The  King  of  Butchers. 


I  here  present  to  the  reader  the  biography  and  record  of  the  great 
butcher  champion,  M.  F.  Mullins,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Mullins  was  born  in 
Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  in  1863.  He  moved  west  with  his  parents  in  1869, 
settling  in  Hammond,  Lake  county,  Indiana.  At  the  age  of  18  years  Mr. 
Mullins  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  and  chose  for  his  vocation  the 
butcher  business.  He  commenced  his  apprenticeship  with  the  firm  of 
Swift  &  Co.,  when  their  cattle  business  did  not  exceed  sixty  head  per  day. 
He  has  been  in  the  service  of  this  company  continuously  since,  and  has 
seen  the  business  increase  to  the  present  capacity  of  7,000  head  per  day. 
After  eight  years  service  with  the  company  he  was  promoted  to  the  posi- 
tion of  foreman,  which  he  has  held.tc-  the  present  day.  His  first  contest 
took  place  in  the  Exposition  building  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  August  22d, 
1883,  there  being  eight  contestants  for  prizes,  as  follows:  First  prize,  gold 
medal,  valued  at  $250:  second  prize,  $100;  third  prize,  $50.  The  contest- 
ants worked  their  bullocks  in  the  following  order: 

Min.      Sec. 
Walter  Dennis,  Bridgeport,  111.  7  39 

William  Rader,  Bridgeport,  111.  7  54 

Michael  Sheck,  Armour  &  Co.,  Chicago,         6  12 

M.  F.  Mullins,  Swift  &  Co.,  Chicago,  4  5 

Pete  Magee,  Bridgeport,  111.  8  40 

Rod  Laverty,  Boston,  Mass.  3  38 

Frank  Noonan,  Armour  &  Co.  8  40 

Joe  Malone,  Bridgeport,  111.  12  22 


This  contest  was  principally  considered  on  the  best  time  made;  good 
work  was  not  regarded.  Rod  Laverty  lost  first  prize  by  a  foul  claimed 
for  not  skinning  out  one  hind  leg.  Mr.  Mullins  was  awarded  first  prize, 


UNION   STOCK   YARDS  AND   SLAUGHTER    HOUSES.  13 

Rod  Laverty  second,  and  Michael  Sheck  third.     This  contest  was  before 
an  audience  of  about  three  thousand  people. 

.  This  mode  of  contest  has  been  discontinued,  owing  to  the  unsatis- 
factory work  done.  It  is  now  supplanted  by  contests  under  American 
rules,  which  are  as  follows: 

1.  There  shall  be  three  judges,  who  shall  be  considered  fairminded 
and  honorable  men,  and  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  business. 

2.  Cattle  shall  weigh  not  less  than  1,400  pounds. 

3.  Contestants  will  be  allowed  eight  minutes  to  dress  the  bullock; 
judges  to  call  time  when  the  bullock  is  drawn  up,  front  feet  off  and  right 
hindleg  broken;  dresser  to  call  time  when  finished. 

4.  After  dresser  calls  time  he  will  not  be  allowed  near  carcass  or 
hide  until  after  judges  have  made  their  inspection  when,  by  having  every- 
thing perfect,  dresser  will  be  credited  with  100  points  in  time  of  eight 
minutes;  points  to  be  considered  as  follows: 


1st.  For  opening,  reining  and  siding  bullock,  15  points. 

2d.  "  leging,  5  points. 

3d.  "  rumping  and  backing  15  points. 

4th.  "  splitting,  15  points. 

5th.  "  clearing  shank  and  dropping  hide,  10  points. 

6th.  "  time,  20  points. 

7th.  "  general  neatness.  10  points. 

8th.  •'  condition  of  hide,  10  points. 


This  constitutes  the  100  points  to  credit.  The  following  points  will  be 
deducted  for  the  following  defects:  Twenty  points  off  for  every  minute 
over  the  allotted  eight  minutes,  and  ten  points  in  his  favor  for  every  minute 
less  than  allotted  time.  Under  these  rules  Mr.  Mullins's  second  match 
took  place  October  19,1887,  at  the  Exposition  building  in  Chicago.  111., 
with  the  exception  that  twenty-five  minutes  instead  of  eight  were  allowed 
to  dress  the  bullock.  There  were  nine  contestants  in  this  match.  The 
judges  were  men  of  good  standing  and  judgment  and  decided  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  contestants  and  audience.  One  of  them  was  from  Boston, 
one  from  New  York  and  one  from  Chicago. 


14  A   TRIP   THROUGH   THE 

Min.  Sec.       Points. 

Mr.  Mullins  won  first  prize,  $100,  10  97 

Larry  Noonan  won  second,     $50,  12  94 

Joe  Smith  won  third.  $25,  11  45  81 


At  this  contest  there  were  over  3,000  people.  These  American  rules 
which  governed  this  contest  as  well  as  all  others  since  bring  out  a  better 
class  of  workmen,  who  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  do  good  work,  be- 
sides being  swift. 

Mr.  Mullins's  third  match  took  place  in  the  Exposition  building,  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  October  I5th,  1889,  before  an  audience  of  8,000  people.  Mr. 
Mullins  worked  his  bullock  last,  and  after  the  decision  was  given  by  the 
judges,  there  was  great  shouting  by  Mr.  Mullins's  admirers.  Three  cheers- 
were  then  given  for  the  champion  beef  dresser  of  the  world,  Mr.  M.  F. 
Mullins.  After  the  excitement  had  quieted  down  Mr.  Mullins  thanked 
the  judges  and  audience  in  a  neat  little  speech,  also  his  coworkers.  Then 
Mr.  G.  F.  Swift  walked  up  to  the  judges's  stand  and  presented  Mr.  Mul- . 
lins  with  a  handsome  roll  of  bills.  He  was  closely  followed  by  Mr.  E.  C. 
Swift,  of  Boston,  who  also  gave  Mr.  Mullins  another  roll  of  bills  in  ad- 
miration of  his  skill  and  activity  as  a  beef  dresser,  and  for  so  nobly  rep- 
resenting their  firm  in  the  contest.  The  prizes  were  as  follows: 


Min.  Sec.  Points. 

First  prize,  $300,  Mr.  M.  F.  Mullins,              8  50             119 
Second  "    $200,  Mr.  J.  Smith,                       10                             116 

Third      "    $100,  Mr.  Larry  Noonan,              9  50             104 

Mr.  Mullins's  fourth  contest  took  place  in  Union  Park,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  May  i8th,  1890,  before  an  audience  of  12,000  people,  for 
$1,000.  This  contest  was  between  Mr.  Mullins  and  Mr.  Westphall,  of 
San  Francisco,  who  was  champion  of  the  Pacific  slope.  The  match  was 
under  the  same  rules  as  the  two  preceding  contests,  excepting  that  con- 
testants were  allowed  but  eight  minutes  to  dress  the  bullock  instead  of 
twenty-five.  In  the  toss  for  choice  of  bullocks  Mr.  Westphall  won,  and 
in  the  toss  for  working  last  Mr.  Mullins  won.  The  time  was  as  follows:. 

Mr.  Westphall,    6  minutes,  42  seconds,  making  85  points 
Mr.  Mullins,         7         "  7         "  127       " 


UNION  STOCK   YARDS   AND   SLAUGHTER    HOUSES.  15 

After  the  judges  had  inspected  the  bullocks  it  was  found  that  Mr. 
Westphall  had  done  very  poor  splitting  and  siding  and  had  scored  the 
hide  greatly,  for  which  he  lost  several  points.  Four  proprietors  of  the 
largest  tanneries  in  San  Francisco  inspected  Mr.  Mullins's  hide  and  pro- 
nounced it  as  being  the  best  work  done  on  any  hide  ever  taken  off  in  the 
country.  Mr.  Mullins  was  then  declared  winner  and  the  champion  of  the 
world,  being  presented  with  a  fine  gold  medal. 

Mr.  Mullins's  fifth  and  last  match  took  place  at  Willow  Springs, 
-Chicago,  July  26th,  1890,  under  the  auspices  qf  the  County  Commission- 
•ers  of  Cook  County,  Illinois,  in  honor  of  Governor  Palmer,  who  was  at 
that  time  a  candidate  for  the  United  States  Senate,  and  has  since  been 
-elected.  This  contest  was  between  Mr.  Westphall  and  Mr.  Mullins. 
Mr.  Westphall  still  thought  he  could  beat  Mr.  Mullins  and  win  back 
some  of  the  money  lost  in  the  previous  contest,  as  well  as  the  champion- 
ship honors.  The  audience  numbered  15,000  people.  In  this  race  Mr. 
Westphall  got  choice  of  bullocks  again  and  worked  first.  Time  as  fol- 
lows: 


Mr.  Westphall     6  minutes,  43  seconds,      scored  107  points. 
Mr.  Mullins          5  minutes,  42  seconds,      scored  121  points. 


SCORE    CARD    OF    THIS    RACE: 

Opening,  reining  and  siding  15 

Working  of  legs  5 

Rumping  and  backing  15 

Splitting  15 
Dropping  hides,  clearing  shanks          10 

Condition  of  hide  10 

General  neatness  10 

Time  20 

Fast   time,  10  points  gained  per  minute 

Slow  time,  20  points  lost  per  minute 


Mullins.    Westphall. 
12  12 


5 
'5 

*5 

10 

IO 
10 

20 
24 


5 
14 

12 
IO 
IO 
IO 
20 
14 


Total  points 


121 


107 


16  A   TRIP   THROUGH  THE 

In  this  as  in  all  other  cases,  all  was  excitement  when  the  decision 
was  made.  Mr.  Westphall  made  an  eloquent  speech  declaring  that  Mr. 
Mullins  was  his  superior,  and  that  he  had  had  a  fair  and  square  match 
both  in  San  Francisco  and  Chicago.  He  also  added  that  he  was  confi- 
dent there  was  not  a  man  in  this  country  who  could  beat  Mr.  Mullins  in 
a  beef  dressing  contest.  Mr.  Mullins  was  then  presented  with  a  fine  gold 
watch  by  the  four  County  Commissioners,  valued  at  $250,  and  Mr.  West- 
phall was  presented  with  $200  in  cash  as  a  token  of  sincere  regard  for 
his  good  work,  he  being  the  only  man  who  gave  Mr.  Mullins  a  close 
fight. 


How  the  Various  Parts  of  the  Animal  are  Utilized. 


Now  we  want  to  know  what  becomes  of  the  other  parts  of  the  ani- 
mal, or  have  a  brief  idea  at  least. 

The  livers,  hearts  and  kidneys  are  cleaned  and  trimmed  and  sold  for 
food.  The  tallow  which  is  trimmed  from  the  intestines  is  sent  to  the  oil 
houses  to  be  converted  into  different  grades  of  oleo  oil.  The  bladders 
are  filled  with  air,  trimmed,  dried  and  sold  to  bladder  factories.  The 
paunches  and  pecks,  which  are  the  first  and  second  stomachs  respectively 
of  the  cattle,  are  emptied  and  washed,  then  they  are  sent  to  the  tripe 
room  where  they  are  pickled  and  sold  as  tripe.  All  other  parts  that 
cannot  be  sold  for  human  food  are  sent  to  the  tank  room,  where  they  are 
cooked  in  large  tanks  ;  then  it  is  called  tankage,  and  after  it  is  pressed  it 
is  taken  to  the  fertilizer  house,  dried,  ground  and  sold  to  farmers  as  a  fer- 
tilizer. The  grease  is  taken  from  the  top  of  the  tank  water  and  used  for 
making  tallow.  The  tank  water  is  pumped  to  the  fertilizer  house,  where 
it  is  boiled  down  to  a  dark,  thick  jelly-like  substance;  it  is  then  put  into 
small  pans  holding  about  twenty-five  pounds  each,  and  placed  in  hot  ov- 
ens, where  it  remains  for  about  twenty-four  hours;  it  is  then  perfectly 
dry,  and  after  being  ground  it  is  sold  to  farmers  as  the  most  valuable  of 
fertilizers,  called  concentrated  tankage. 

The  skulls,  jawbones,  horns,  hoofs,  in  fact,  all  the  bones  are  sent  to 
the  bone  house,  where  they  are  cleaned,  dried  and  made  to  look  almost 
as  white  as  snow.  Neatsfoot  and  other  oils  are  made  in  this  building, 
from  the  marrow  and  fat  taken  from  the  bones. 


UNION   STOCK   YARDS   AND   SLAUGHTER    HOUSES. 


Butterine  Factory. 


COOLING    ROOM,    BU1TERINE    DEPARTMENT. 


In  visiting  the  Butterine  factory,  we  start  from  the  top  floor  and  take 
in  the  sights  as  we  go  down  through  the  different  floors;  in  this  way  we 
start  from  the  very  beginning.  When  we  get  off  of  elevator  at  the  top 
floor  we  first  see  the  "souring  room;"  this  room  is  filled  with  vats,  or 
wooden  tubs  lined  with  tin  or  zinc.  The  "  milk,"  for  there  is  plenty  of  it 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  butterine,  is  put  into  these  vats;  the  room  is 
then  heated  to  a  hot  temperature,  thus  causing  the  milk  to  sour  quickly. 
It  is  then  put  into  churns  and  churned  by  machinery;  when  this  is  done 
it  is  transferred  to  mixing  tanks  and  mixed  with  lard  and  oleo  oil.  These 
tanks  are  very  large,  made  of  iron;  on  the  inside  are  revolving  ladles, 


18 


A   TRIP   THROUGH   THE 


giving  the  stock  a  thorough  mixing.  Then  the  mixture  is  allowed  to  run 
out  from  the  bottom  of  tanks  into  ice  water,  which  causes  the  stock  to 
harden  and  form  on  top.  Next  it  is  taken  from  the  water  by  men  with 
sieves  and  sent  to  a  very  warm  room;  the  heat  of  this  room  causes  the 
separate  lumps  to  mix,  after  which  the  mixture  is  sent  down  to  the  "but- 
ter workers,"  which  are  tables  that  are  kept  rolling  around  under  two 
cone  shaped  rollers.  Over  these  tables  are  round  sieves,  containing 
enough  salt  for  one  table  of  butterine.  After  this  is  thoroughly  worked 
the  butterine  is  sent  down  to  the  packing  room,  where  it  is  put  up  in  dif- 
ferent size  packages,  and  then  sent  to  the  shipping  room  to  be  branded 
and  stamped;  then  it  is  ready  for  shipment.  The  retail  price  of  butterine 
is  from  14  cts.  to  19  cts.  per  pound.  The  14  cts.  per  pound  being  the 
common  grade,  and  19  cts.  being  the  very  best,  or  Extra  Creamery 
Butterine. 


Oil  Houses. 


I\H  OR\G\HNV  9HOTO  T  MMLtt   BX    STROHWtltP.  Si 


PRESS     ROOM,     OIL     HOUSE. 


UNION   STOCK   YARDS   AND   SLAUGHTER    HOUSES.  19 

The  oil  houses  are  the  cleanest  places  in  Packing  Town;  the  floors 
are  kept  so  clean  that  a  stranger  sometimes  hesitates  to  walk  upon 
them.  The  press  room  men  work  in  their  bare  feet  and  very  light  cloth- 
thing,  the  temperature  being  between  80  and  90  degrees  F.  On  the  top 
floor  of  the  building  the  fat  is  being  hashed  and  running  from  the  hasher 
into  slanting  troughs,  which  lead  to  open  kettles.  By  cooking  this  fat 
it  is  converted  into  oil;  then  it  is  drawn  off  from  the  bottom  of  kettles  on 
the  floor  below  and  put  in  square  wooden  troughs  which  are  lined  with 
galvanized  tin.  This  oil  is  called  "  oleo  stock."  While  the  stock  grad- 
ually hardens  men  will  stir  it  with  their  hands  and  arms  occasionally. 
When  it  becomes  mushy  it  is  put  into  cloths,  folded  and  then  put  into 
presses  and  pressed  by  machinery.  It  requires  nearly  two  hours  press- 
ing before  all  the  oil  is  all  separated  from  the  cloths.  As  the  oil  separ- 
ates from  the  cloths  it  drops  into  a  tank  and  is  drawn  off  into  barrels.  It 
is  of  a  yellowish  color  and  has  a  very  rich  flavor;  it  is  called  oleo,  or 
butter  oil,  and  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  butterine.  When  the  oil  is 
all  pressed  out,  there  is  nothing  in  the  cloth  but  a  very  hard  white  cake. 
This  is  called  oleo  stearine;  it  is  used  largely  in  the  manufacture  of  cand- 
les, and  also  for  compound  lard. 

Glue  Factory. 

The  glue  factory  is  a  very  interesting  place  for  one  having  an  oppor- 
tunity to  visit  it.  A  great  many  people  have  an  idea  that  every  glue 
factory  sends  out  a  sickening  odor  that  is  felt  for  miles  around;  but  such 
is  not  the  case  with  the  glue  factories  of  Packing  Town,  as  all  the  mate- 
rial used  is  fresh  from  the  slaughter  houses.  The  different  parts  of  the 
animal  material  used  are  pieces  of  hides,  ears,  horn  piths,  sinews  of  the 
feet  of  cattle,  pigs'  feet,  sheep  feet  and  other  scraps  that  cannot  be  used 
for  anything  else.  Nearly  all  of  these  are  put  through  different  pro- 
cesses. To  explain  each  would  require  more  space  than  is  herein  given. 
When  the  glue  is  made,  it  is  drawn  off  into  square  pans,  holding  about 
fifty  pounds  each.  When  the  pans  are  filled  they  remain  in  the  chill  room 
until  the  glue  hardens;  then  they  are  taken  to  the  top  floor  and  held  in 
hot  water  until  the  glue  loosens  from  the  side  of  the  pans.  The  lump  is 
then  put  into  a  machine,  which  cuts  it  into  small  thin  cakes.  These 
cakes  are  put  upon  wire  racks  in  cages  by  girls,  and  when  the  cages  are 
full  they  are  lowered  to  the  next  floor  by  elevators  for  that  purpose, 
and  sent  to  the  drying  room  where  hundreds  of  cages  of  glue  are  hung 
and  dried  in  a  day.  Afterthe  glue  is  dried  it  is  ground  into  small  pieces 
and  is  ready  for  shipment. 


20  A   TRIP   THROUGH   THE 

The  Slaughter  of  Hogs. 

The  hogs  are  generally  shipped  in  double-deck  cars  by  farmers  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  to  the  Stock  Yards.     When  they  arrive  they  are 


ow\Ci\Nik\_  PHOTO 


STICKING   THE  HOG. 

fed  and  weighed  and  when  sold  are  sent  direct  to  the  shackling  pen  of 
the  slaughter  houses  through  viaducts  erected  fyr  that  purpose.  These 
viaducts  are  more  than  a  mile  in  length.  By  using  these  viaducts  a  drove 
can  be  kept  together  and  also  be  free  from  danger  in  crossing  the  railroad 
tracks. 

The  shackling  pen  is  filled  with  hogs,  and  a  boy  in  among  them  fast- 
ens a  shackle  upon  one  of  the  hind  legs  of  the  hog;  a  chain  is  hooked 
into  a  ring  of  the  shackle  and  the  hog  is  hoisted  by  machinery  to  a  man 
who  places  the  shackled  hog  upon  a  greased  slanting  rail;  the  end  of  the 
chain  is  then  loosened  and  thrown  back  to  theshackler  again.  When  the 
hog  is  placed  upon  this  greased  slanting  rail  he  slides  down  to  the  "  stic- 
ker." Of  course  the  hog  is  yelling  more  and  louder  than  ever  before, 


UNMON   STOCK   YARDS   AND   SLAUGHTER    HOUSES. 


21 


but  as  soon  as  he  quits  kicking  and  tries  to  think  what  has  happened  the 
sticker  plunges  a  knife  sharpened  on  both  edges  into  his  throat.  After 
stopping  a  few  seconds  to  let  the  blood  drain  out  the  hog  is  allowed  to 
slide  down  the  greased  rail  until  he  reaches  a  boy  who  places  a  hook  in 


liH  0«\(i\HKV  PttOTO 


A    HALF    MILE    OF    PORK. 


the  ring  of  the  shackle,  and  then  allows  the  hog  to  slide  off  the  end  of 
the  rail.  The  sudden  jerk  caused  by  the  drop  of  the  hog  causes  the 
shackle  to  slip  off  of  his  leg  and  he  falls  into  a  pan  of  hot  water.  He  is 
then  kept  rolling  in  the  water  by  men  with  poles  until  he  reaches  the  end 
of  the  pen  where  there  is  an  apparatus  for  throwing  him  out  upon  a  table. 
The  hair  is  then  taken  from  his  ears,  after  which  he  is  fastened  to  the 
•'  scraper,"  a  machine  so  arranged  as  to  take  almost  all  the  hair  off.  After 
this  he  is  scraped  off  by  hand,  of  all  the  hair  remaining  in  small  bunches 
— his  head  is  then  taken  off.  Next  he  is  put  upon  a  rail  and  pushed 


22 


A   TRIP  THROUGH   THE 


along  to  the  "  washing  box,"  which  is  a  small  place  containing  iron  pipes 
pointing  out  in  different  directions;  the  hog  passes  between  these  pipes, 
while  the  water  rushes  upon  him  with  considerable  force,  giving  him  a 


CHOPPING    MEAT,    SAUSAGE    DEPARTMENT. 


thorough  washing.  From  here  he  is  sent  to  men  who  might  be  called 
•'  hog  barbers,"  for  they  do  nothing  but  shave  hogs.  When  these  men 
are  through  with  him  he  looks  very  clean  and  white.  Next  his  stomach 
is  opened  and  the  intestines  taken  out.  This  is  done  in  short  order  by  one 
man,  and  when  through  with  him  a  swift  stream;  of  water  is  forced  all 
over  him,  giving  the  hog  the  last  washing  he  is  to  have.  He  is  then  dried 
on  the  inside  with  cloths,  and  on  the  outside  with  knives  run  over  him  just 
as  the  barbers  did;  the  knives  take  all  the  water  off  much  better  than  the 
cloths  do.  After  this  is  done  the  hog  is-  sent  to  two  men  who  pull  the 
lard  out;  one  man  will  pull  from  the  right  side  with  the  right  hand  while 
the  other  man  pulls  the  lard  from  the  left  side  of  the  hog  with  the  left 
hand.  After  the  lard  is  taken  out  the  hog  is-  weighed.  The  lard  is  sep/- 


UNION   STOCK   YARDS   AND   SLAUGHTER    HOUSES.  23 

arately  weighed  and  put  into  large  kettles  and  rendered,  making  the 
•"  Pure  Kettle  Rendered  Leaf  Lard."  The  hog  after  being  weighed  is  sent 
to  the  hanging  room,  where  all  the  scraps  and  ragged  edges  are  trimmed 
off;  he  is  then  divided  into  halves  in  this  room.  From  here  Ifltis  low- 
ered to  the  chill  room,  or  cooler,  where  he  remains  for  a  time  varying 
from  twenty-four  hours  to  six  days.  The  chill  room  is  kept  at  a  temper- 
ature of  from  33  to  35  degrees  F.  About  three  minutes  pass  from  the 
time  the  hog's  throat  was  cut  until  he  was  ready  to  be  sent  to  the  chill 
room.  The  hogs  are  handled  in  one  house  by  about  thirty-five  men,  who 


FILLING   SKINS,    SAUSAGE    DEPARTMENT. 


get  through  with  about  9,000  hogs  in  ten  hours. 

Some  of  the  hogs  are  sent  to  the  cutting  room,  where  they  are  cut 
up  into  different  parts,  such  as  bellies,  pork  loins,  hams,  shoulders  and 
spare  ribs.  The  pig's  feet  are  pickled;  the  remaining  parts  are  used  in 
the  sausage  room  for  making  bologna  and  sausage  meat.  The  hams, 
shoulders  and  bacon  are  smoked  in  houses  built  for  that  purpose. 


24  A  TRIP  THROUGH  THE 

Smoke  House. 

There  is  not  much  to  be  said  of  the  smoke  house,  but  to  begin  with, 
let  us  make  smoke.  Corncobs  are  the  best  material  that  can  be  used  for 
making  the  right  kind  of  smoke,  as  they  give  the  meat  a  sweeter  flavor 
than  anything  else,  but  corncobs  are  not  plentiful  enough  to  be  used  the 
whole  year  round,  and  in  this^ase,  sawdust  and  logs  of  wood  are  used 
instead.  The  house  must  be  thoroughly  dried  out  before  the  meat  is  al- 
lowed to  be  smoked.  This  is  done  by  burning  logs  of  wood  in  the  build- 
ing for  about  five  hours.  There  are  five  floors  in  this  building,  separated 
from  each  other  by  thin  iron  rails,  so  as  to  allow  the  smoke  to  pass 
through  the  different  floors  until  it  reaches  the  top  of  the  building,  where 
it  slowly  escapes  through  several  chimneys  on  the  roof.  Each  ham  is 
hung  in  the  center  of  a  small  stick,  which  is  placed  across  the  rail,  side 
by  side.  The  hams,  shoulders,  bacon  and  beef  tongues  require  from 
twenty-four  to  twenty-six  hours  smoking.  As  the  hams  require  the  most 
smoke,  they  are  hung  on  the  floor  nearest  the  fire.  The  shoulders  may 
be  hung  on  this  floor,  also  the  next.  The  fourth  floor  is  for  bacon,  and 
the  fifth  for  tongues.  The  different  floors  can  be  regulated  for  the 
amount  of  smoke  needed.  There  are  from  5,000  to  10,000  hams  smoked 
in  this  building  every  day. 


The  Slaughter  of  Sheep. 

The  sheep,  when  they  arrive  at  the  Stock  Yards,  are  first  fed  and 
weighed,  after  which  they  are  sold  and  then  driven  to  the  slaughter  house 
through  viaducts.  When  they  reach  the  gate  at  the  end  of  the  viaduct, 
they  see  one  or  two  sheep  in  a  pen  a  few  yards  from  them,  each  having 
a  bell  attached  around  their  necks.  These  trained  sheep  are  called  the 
"  leaders."  When  the  gate  is  thrown  open,  all  of  the  sheep  run  down  to 
the  "leaders"  and  follow  them  to  the  pen  from  which  they  are  to  be 
taken  and  slaughtered.  The  "leaders,"  after  leading  the  sheep  to  this 
pen,  get  away  fro  n  the  others  through  a  trick  taught  them,  and  then  re- 
turn to  their  own  pen,  where  more  sheep  may  be  waiting.  These  leaders 
are  used  to  save  time,  and  it  will  be  noticed  how  quickly  the  sheep  will 
follow  them  to  the  pen,  much  more  quickly  than  they  could  be  driven 
there  by  men.  The  leaders  become  so  attached  to  their  keepers  that 
they  take  up  the  habit  of  chewing  tobacco.  , 


UNION  STOCK  YARDS  AND  SLAUGHTER  HOUSES.  25 

Now  let  the  reader  prepare  for  some  unpleasant  but  interesting 
sights — the  slaughter  of  an  innocent  sheep.  First,  a  shackle  is  put  on 
one  of  the  hind  legs  of  each  of  the  two  sheep,  which  are  hoisted  up  to- 
gether by  means  of  a  chain  attached  to  the  ring  of  the  shackle,  to  a  boy, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  place  small  wheels  with  hooks  attached,  on  the  track 
overhead,  from  which  the  sheep  are  to  hang.  Then  the  sticker  plunge8 
a  sharp  knife  into  one  side  of  the  throat,  cutting  clean  through,  the  head 


DRIVING    SHEEP   TO   SLAUGHTER. 


being  alrrost  severed  from  the  body.  This  is  a  very  pitiful  sight  to 
strangers;  many  persons  have  fainted  away  immediately  after  witnessing 
the  slaughter  of  sheep,  while  the  same  persons  will  laugh  and  enjoy 
themselves  at  the  sight  of  hog  slaughtering.  Another  method  sometimes 
used  to  cut  the  throat  is  as  follows  :  Two  or  three  men  go  into  the  pen, 
and  each  carry  out  one  sheep  in  his  arms;  it  is  then  laid  upon  a  bench, 
where  there  are  two  iron  stakes  which  are  wide  enough  apart  to  allow  the 
neck  to  enter.  Then  the  sticker  will  bend  the  head  backward,  and  thrust 


26 


A  TRIP  THROUGH  THE 


the  knife  deep  into  the  throat,  after  which  the  sheep  is  hung  up  to  allow 
the  blood  to  drain  out.  One  way  is  as  pitiful  as  the  other.  The  sheep, 
after  their  throats  are  cut,  are  sent  to  boys,,  who  rip  the  hide  up  the  legs, 
then  the  legs  are  broken,  after  which  a  hook  is  placed  behind  the  joints 
of  each  of  the  forelegs.  He  is  then  sent  to  a  man  to  have  the  skin 
pulled  from  the  neck  and  chest.  Next  he  is  sent  to  another  man,  who 
will  trim  the  skin  again  from  the  neck  and  feet,  and  the  hook  to  which 


KILLING   SHEEP. 


the  hind  legs  were  fastened  is  taken  away  and  two  long  hooks  attached 
to  a  wheel  on  the  track  overhead  are  place'd  in,  and  the  other  hooks  are 
taken  from  the  joints  of  the  forelegs.  From  here  the  carcass  is  sent  to 
men  who  take  it  from  the  long  hooks  and  hang  the  hind  legs  upon  small 
stationary  hooks,  which  are  on  a  beam  about  five  feet  from  the  floor. 
The  skin  is  then  torn  off  with  marvelous  rapidity,  and  horrible  to  relate, 
however,  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it.  the  head  is  taken  off  and  the 
breast  bone  split  open,  after  which  the  intestines  are  taken  out.  Then 
he  carcass  is  washed,  dried  and  all  the  ragged  edges  are  trimmed  off. 


UNION  STOCK  YARDS  AND  SLAUGHTER  HOUSES. 


27 


After  this  is  done,  the  carcasses  are  hung  on  racks  and  weighed,  eight  or 
ten  at  a  time;  then  they  are  sent  into  the  cooler,  where  they  remain 
twenty-four  hours  at  a  temperature  of  38  degrees  F.  When  the  sheep  is 
finally  stowed  away  in  the  cooler,  he  has  been  handled  by  twenty  differ- 
ent men  on  the  way,  each  taking  some  one  particular  part,  and  only  five 
minutes  have  passed  since  the  poor  sheep  drew  his  last  breath.  A  cer- 


Ml  OR\(»\NKY.  -PHOTO 


BX   SIROHWVItR  I.  \NXUNH, 


AFTER    SLAUGHTER. 


tain  person  has  said  that  he  marked  the  wool  of  a  live  sheep,  just  as  it 
was  being  shackled,  and  ten  minutes  from  that  time  he  saw  the  very 
same  wool  he  had  marked  on  top  of  a  load  of  sheep  skins,  which  were 
being  taken  to  the  wool  house.  This  may  seem  exaggerated  to  some 
extent,  but  when  one  takes  into  consideration  the  fact  that  only  two 
minutes  had  passed  when  the  skin  was  torn  off,  and  that  about  2,500 
sheep  are  killed  in  ten  hours  at  this  house,  it  will  be  admitted  that  such 
a  thing  is  possible. 


A   TRIP  THROUGH  THE 


M*  OP\G\uia  PHCPO 


ex  STROHWMIR 


DRESSING    THE    SHEEP. 


Wool   House. 


Now  let  us  have  a  brief  account  of  the  wool  house,  which  is  a  very 
interesting  place  to  visit,  although  there  is  not  a  great  deal  to  be  seen  at 
this  place,  and  for  this  reason  the  writer  will  not  be  able  to  give  a  lengthy 
account,  but  will  explain  all  of  the  most  interesting  facts, . 

The  sheep  skins  are  taken  to  the  wool  house  and  put  into  large  vats 
to  be  washed;  then  after  being  washed,  they  are  put  into  a  linking  ma- 
chine. This  is  made  of  iron  and  built  somewhat  similar  to  a  common 
tub,  on  the  inside  of  which  is  another  tub  fastened  by  a  pivot.  The  wool 
is  put  into  the  inner  tub,  which  is  then  made  to  go  around  very  fast, 
causing  the  wool  to  press  against  the  side  of  the  tub  and  the  water  to 
pass  into  the  outer  tub,  which  remains  stationary.  From  this  machine 


UNION  STOCK  YARDS  AND  SLAUGHTER  HOUSES.  29 

the  skins. are  sent  to  the  fourth  floor,  where  they  are  washed  with  acid 
which  loosens  the  wool  from  the  skin.  Next  they  are  taken  to  the  top 
floor  to  have  the  wool  scraped  off.  The  wool  is  then  gathered  up  and 
put  through  a  separator,  which  loosens  and  separates  the  wool.  From 
the  separator  the  wool  is  sent  to  a  room  below,  then  it  returns  through 
chutes  through  which  the  wool  is  sent  to  a  large  dryer,  where  the  tem- 
perature is  214  degrees  F.  The  wool  is  sent  through  this  dryer  five 
times,  and  after  it  has  passed  through  the  fifth  time  it  is  thoroughly  dry. 
Then  it  is  allowed  to  drop  from  the  dryer  into  large  bins  on  the  floor  be- 
low, where  it  is  packed  in  large  bags,  which,  when  full,  will  weigh  about 
200  pounds  each.  After  the  wool  is  taken  off  of  the  skins,  they  are  put 
through  a  pickling  process,  after  which  they  are  cleaned  and  then  sold  to 
tanneries. 


The  illustrations  in  this  book  were 
taken  from  original  photos  by  Stroh- 
meyer  &  Wyman.  They  also  publish 
the  finest  series  of  Stereoscopic  Views 
made.  Their  sole  agents  are 

ONDERWOOD  5  GNDERWOOD, 
New  York,    Chicago,    London    and    Toronto. 


On  Easy  Payments, 


weekly  or  monthly. 

GEORGE  A.  LAMBERT, 

5232   EMERALD  AVENUE,   CHICAGO 

Agent  also  for  the  Celebrated  Pease  Pianos. 


Don't  fail  to  (all  on  the  Iarg= 
esf  and  most  economical 
Clothing  floiise  in  the  city  to 
bfcy  yofcr  clothing  for  yo{ir= 
self  and  boys.  We  have 
everything  for 


MEN 


DON'T  FAIL  TO  VISIT  OUK 

SHOE  DEPARTMENT. 


835,  837,  839,  841  ^  843    ROOT  STREET.  CORNER 
EMERALD   AVENUE. 

UNION  STOCK  YARDS. 


